of akron



June 19, 1923. 1 Re. 15,631

, w.ol 1E|L MANUFACTURE OF CORD TIRES Original'Filed D66. 2. 1920 q IIIII/IIIIIIIII V a v, 1 0, 4- 1 I: 0 6712371 v QM c m in??? fj- 8. m 2

-Reissued 1.....1 ,1923.

' UNITED s1 ATES PATENT OFFICE".

WILLIAK mm, or nxaon, 01110, asszcenon TO THE GENERAL 'rnm a RUBBER COMPANY, or Anton, 03:10, a conrona'non or one.

mnuracrunn or com) TIRES.

Original Io. 1,487;8I9, dated December-5, 1922. Serial No. 427,676, fled December 2, 1920.

. reissue filed April 11, 1928. Serial No. 631,478.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM ONEIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit andState of Ohio, have "invented a certain new. and

useful Improvement in the Manufacturelof Cord Tires, of which the following .is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to make cord tires which will cost less and last longer than cord tires as they have heretoforebeen.

\ made.

'Cord tires are built up of a-plurality of superimposed layers of bias cutfrictioned 16 cord fabric.- In some of the layers the cords extend diagonally in one direction and in others the cords extend diagonally in the opposite direction. Generally the alternate layers have the cords running diagonally in one direction while the intermediate lay-.

i ers have the cords 'the opposite direction.

The raw rubber with which the "several.

layers of fabric are coated stock the layers 2.6 together as they are being formed and superimposed upon an annular core; and after the so constructed tires have been vulcanized the union between the layers has a high degree of permanency. Nevertheless it'is very common for cord tires when put to use to deteriorate as the result of the separation of" the superimposed layers of fabric.

The present: invention isbasedupon the appreciation of the fact that said separa- Jl tion'of the layers or plies is principally due I .ternating thick and thin zones, the thick zone being due to the deflection'of the warp cords up and down" by woven; in fine filler threads which pass over alternate warp cords, and under the intermediate warp cords. It is also based upon the discovery that,l by using a properly constructedfabric, the thick and thin zones therein ma be,

which is of uniform thicknessthroughout.

The invention consists in a frictioned fab-- lso ma cord tire made from such fabric.

All ofwhich will be hereinafter described running diagonally in g to the presence .in the friction fabric of al-- eradicated, and .a frictioned fabric pro uced Application manddefinitely Set forth in the appended indicated by line 3-3 on Fig.1 of the fabricshown in that figure; Fig. 4 is a m 1- fied transverse section on line 44 of ig'.

claims, and is illustrated in theeaccompany- 20f a part of the fabricshown in that fig-- ure'; Fig. 5 is a magnified longitudinal-section in the plane, of line 5-5 on Fig.1 of the fabric shown in that figure; Fig. 6 is a magnified view in the lane of line 6- 6 on Fig. -2 of the finished abric shown therein; Fig. 7 is a side elevation somewhat diagrammatic in character of the meansemploye for producing the fabric illustrated in Figs. 2, 4 and 6; Fig. 8 isa magnified fra entary section of a dord tire which em the present invention',- the section being a diagonal :section' which is parallel with the war-p cords of alternate la ers. 1

' The warn cords are indicated by 10 and ies the fine woven in filler threads by 12. In the finished fabric the warp cords all lie side by side in the same plane, as shown in Fi 4 and 6, but. the are not incontact. e spaces between th full of raw rubber compound13, and a coat- "ing 14'of this rubber compound is spread over both fac s of the. fabric, the rubberlayers between thewarp cords and the rubber coatings on both faces thereof bein of substantial and appreciable thickness. lhe transverse filler threads 12 are waved u and down as they pass over and under ai base thereof a woven fabric such as is shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5; which fabric comprises a e warp cords are packedv ternate' warp cords without deflecting said warp cords above or below the plane in .which they are shown. I To produce this fabric one takes as' the multitude of warpcords 10 and sparsely placed woven in filler threads 12 which aresubstantially'straight, each passing over alternate warp cords, whichare thereby defiected downward, andunder intermediate wag cords, which are thereby deflected up- Each filler thread therefore creates a thick transverse zone 16 across the fabric, said fabric at said zones being nearly twice as thick as the fabric is midway between the zones where the warp cords cross each other. I

I the rolls use of this fabric instead of the old base fabric which has heretofore been used, said old fabric having a greater number of. warp cords .and said warp cords being in substantial contact before the fabric is subjected to any frictioning process steps.

The fabric shown in'Figs. 1, 3 and 5 is thenv made to pass between calendar rolls 20, 21, which are covered with raw rubber compound. In fact, the fabric is drawn along lengthwise by the action of said rolls which pull the fabric from a roll 23 thereof against a very substantial tension which may be applied to a brake drum'24 fixed to an arbor 25 on which the fabric is rolled. The brake may include a pivoted lever 26 having a brake engagingshoe 27 and the brake pressure may be. regulated by a weight 28 hanging onsaidlever. It is to be understood, however, that this braking mechanism is merely illustrative and that any means may be employed to so hold back the fabric that may. by pulling the .fabric straighten the waves out of the warp cords;

The straighteningof the warp cords and the elimination of the waves therein necessarily causes the filler threads to bend .up and down, and as the filled threads are so caused to bend, the warp threads of necessity move laterally toward each other. But as stated,

said warp cords are originally so far apart that when theyv have moved laterally to the extentinecessarv to allow the filler threads to take all of the bends required to allow the warp cords to be straight, said we cords will not be in substantial contact. T e rolls 20, 21', not only straighten out the warp cords as stated, and correspondingly narrow the fabric but the also, while the arts of the fabric are in t 9, condition st apply to opposite faces. of the fabric the layers of rubber compound, and they squeeze this compound into the interstices between the warp cords so as to entirely fill the same. When the fabric emerges from the opposite side of the rolls, the rubber compound so applied will hold the various parts of the fabric in the relative positions stated, that is to say,

it will prevent the warp cords from again' taking on the waves which they originally had, and 'will prevent a widening of the fabric and a consequent 'straightenin the filler threads. The fabric so pr need is of uniform thickness throughout, and is utterly devoid of the thick and thin zones which are characteristic of the frictioned cord fabric which has heretofore been used in the manufacture of cord tires.

I am aware that the base fabric which has heretofore been used has been frictioned by the means above described, that is, the fabric has been pulled along through calendar rolls by which the rubber compound is applied to opposite faces thereof. I am aware also that a certain amount of tension has been put upon the fabric as the rolls are pulling it along, but thistensionhas had for its sole pur ose the keepin of the fabric straight. oreover, the 0 d fabric has been constructed as before stated "with its warp cords in substantial contact. Therefore, however strong may have been the pull applied to this fabric to draw it through the rubber applying calendar rolls,

the waves in the warp'cords could not be straightened out. This is because the straightening of the warp cords necessarily involves the crimping of the filler threads and the consequent lateral movement of the warp cords toward each other. -.Only a very slight degree of lateral movement 'of' the warp cords relative to each other is possible in the old fabric because aftera very slight movement in the direction stated, these warp cords are so crowded into contact with each other that further movement is impossible. This limit is reached long be fore there is Substantial ,or appreciable straightening of the warp cords.

. The fact that the warp cords are' so crowded. together makes it practically impossible for the calendar rolls to crowd the rubber compound between them, and therefore in using the old fabric a preliminary step has been necessary, which step is entirely unnecessary when one employs the fabric in which the warp cords are separated a substantial distance, as hereinbefore explained,

In the manufacture of cord tires from the old fabric it is common practice tcrrun them through a rubber solution by which all of the cords. are completely wet. When the fabric, after it has come out of that solution,

is dried, each of the warp cords is entirely enveloped by the very minute film of rubber.

This is thinner than ,is desirable, but it is [better to have this, very thin film of rubber surrounding the cord than to have at frequent intervals no rubber at all between the cords, as is the case if the old time fabric is not subjected to this preliminary treatment, "0

and if the attempt be made to apply the rubber coating thereto by means of the calcudar rolls alone.

In other words, the present invention cheapens the construction of cord tires by permitting the omission of one process'step which has heretofore been found necessary in producing a friction fabric. Additionally, the new fabric herein described being of uniform thickness throughout, and having a substantial layer of rubber between the warp cords will produce tires in which the layers have less tendency to separate been used for that purpose.

when the tires are in use than is the case with the tires heretofore made. v

It is perhaps desirable'to more specifically describe a base fabric which can be successfully used to produce frictioned cord fabric, and tires therefrom according to the present invention. And this can perhaps be best done by making comparison between such fabric and the fabric which has heretofore A cord fabric which is in common use for the stated purpose is woven with 26 warp cords to the inch and with 21} fine filler threads to the inch. The warp cords, however, are of such diameter that they are in substantial contact when the fabric leaves the loom. The filler threads moreover are placed as far apart as theycan be and yet serve the purpose for which they are used, namely, to hold the warp cords in the de' sired relation to each other. They would better serve their purpose if more of them were used, but since each filler thread used produces a thick zone in the finished fabric there are as few of these .used as is possible.

A woven cord fabric which is adapted for use in the practice of the present invention may be made up of warp cords of the same diameter as those used in the old fabric, and

may be woven with eighteen of such cords to the inch. Five or six filler threads may be woven in per inch,this increased-number being desirable for reasons stated and' being without injurious effect because they do not produce, in the finished product, any thick zones.

' It is to be understood that I do not intend fabricused is that the warp cords shallbe woven at such a distance apart as that, when all of the waves have been pulled out of them, they will not, by the resultant narrowing of the fabric, be brought into actual contact. It mlght'be added that cord .tires made from the described fabric, having 18 cords to the inch, have been found to be not only more durable than tires made from the old fabric, but sufficiently strong to stand up under the internal air pressure to which they are subjected in use.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The process of preparing frictioned cord fabric adapted for use in the manufacture of cord tires which consists in treating in the manner hereinafter described a cord fabric comprising a multitude of warp cords and woven in fine filler threads, said warp cords being at'such a distance apart as will permit them to move laterally, without coming into contact, to the extent to which they must move when the warp cords are completelystraightened and the filler threads are consequently crimped, said treatment consisting in stretching the fabric lengthwise until all of the warp cords are straightened and all of the filler threads are made to bend up and down as they pass over and'under alternate warp cords without deflecting said warp cords, and in forcing raw rubber ontoboth faces of the fabric and into the interstices between the warp cords while the various parts'of the fabric are in the conbetween which the fabric passes, in utili z- 1 ing said rolls to apply raw rubber to both faces of the fabric and force said raw rubber into the spaces between the warp cords and in a plying to the fabric as it is being pulled" a on'g by said calendar rolls such a.

degree of tension as will completely straighten out all of the waves in the warp cords, and produce a frictional fabric of uniform thickness throughout. I

3. A friction cord fabric adapted for use in the manufacture of cord tires, said fabric being of substantially uniform thickness throughout, and comprising a multitude of parallel warp cords, all of which at all places lie in substantially the same plane but out of contact with one another, and a plurality of woven in fuller threads each of which is waved so as to pass alternately over and under the warp cords without deflectingthem, said fabric being coated with raw rubber on both surfaces, and the warp cords being se arated from each other by raw rubber w ich fills the interstices between them.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature. I

.WILLIAM ONEIL. 

